Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

Surname index·Letter

Surnames beginning with D

186 of the dictionary’s 3,450 surnames begin with D (5.4%). 2 of them are in the national top 30; the most common is Demir, ranked 3rd with 876,934 people (TÜİK ADNKS 2025). The other is Doğan (12th).

Surnames
186
in this index
In the national top 30
21
ADNKS 2025
Most common
Demir
876,934 people

186 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order

  1. Dabak tanner
  2. Dağ mountain
  3. Dağaşan mountain-crosser
  4. Dağcı mountaineer
  5. Dağdaş mountain companion; mountain stone
  6. Dağdelen mountain-piercer, mighty
  7. Dağdeviren mountain-toppler, mighty
  8. Dağlarca like the mountains
  9. Dağlaroğlu son of the mountains
  10. Dağlı mountain-dweller, highlander
  11. Dağtekin a prince firm as a mountain
  12. Dal branch
  13. Dalgıç diver
  14. Dalkılıç with drawn sword
  15. Dallı branched
  16. Daltaban barefoot
  17. Damar vein; stock, nature
  18. Damgacı stamper, stamp-maker
  19. Danacı calf breeder or dealer
  20. Danış knowledge, learning
  21. Danışman adviser, scholar
  22. Danışmaz one who asks no advice
  23. Danişmend scholar, learned man
  24. Danyal Daniel; ‘God is my judge’
  25. Darcan tree of life
  26. Daş stone
  27. Daşdemir firm as stone and iron
  28. Daştan made of stone
  29. Davran the turning heavens; or ‘get moving’
  30. Davutoğlu son of Davut (David)
  31. Dayan “endure!”, hold firm
  32. Dayat hold out, insist
  33. Dayıoğlu son of the maternal uncle
  34. Dede grandfather, elder
  35. Dedeoğlu son of Dede (grandfather)
  36. Defterli having a register
  37. Değer worth, value
  38. Değerli valuable
  39. Değirmenci miller
  40. Değirmencioğlu son of the miller
  41. Deli wild, daring; mad
  42. Delibalta reckless axeman
  43. Delibaş daring, headstrong
  44. Deligöz wild-eyed
  45. Deliktaş holed stone
  46. Deliorman region on the Lower Danube; ‘wild forest’
  47. Demir iron; strong, steadfast #3
  48. Demirağ iron net, railway network
  49. Demiral red-hot iron
  50. Demiralay iron regiment
  51. Demiralp iron hero
  52. Demiray firm as iron, bright as the moon
  53. Demirbağ iron bond
  54. Demirbaş fixture; permanent figure
  55. Demirbay iron lord
  56. Demirbilek iron wrist, strong
  57. Demirboğa iron bull
  58. Demircan iron-strong soul
  59. Demirci blacksmith
  60. Demircioğlu son of the blacksmith
  61. Demirdağ iron mountain
  62. Demirel iron realm; iron hand
  63. Demirer man of iron
  64. Demirhan khan of iron
  65. Demiriş ironwork
  66. Demirkan of iron blood
  67. Demirkaya iron rock
  68. Demirkıran iron-breaker, very strong
  69. Demirkol iron arm, strong-armed
  70. Demirkubuz iron kopuz (lute)
  71. Demirli with iron; anchored
  72. Demiroğlu son of Demir (“iron”)
  73. Demirok iron arrow
  74. Demirörs iron anvil
  75. Demiröz iron at the core
  76. Demirsoy of iron-strong lineage
  77. Demirtaş iron stone, unbreakable
  78. Deniz sea
  79. Denizci seaman, sailor
  80. Denizer man of the sea
  81. Denizeri seaman, sailor
  82. Denizli the city of Denizli
  83. Denk equal, matching
  84. Denktaş equal, peer
  85. Denli dignified, measured
  86. Dere brook, stream
  87. Dereli by the stream; from Dereli
  88. Derelioğlu dereli (of the stream) + -oğlu
  89. Derici leather worker
  90. Derin deep, profound
  91. Derman remedy, cure; strength
  92. Dermancıoğlu son of the remedy-maker
  93. Derviş dervish, humble man
  94. Dervişoğlu son of the dervish
  95. Deva remedy, cure
  96. Deveci camel driver
  97. Develi from Develi
  98. Develioğlu son of the Develi
  99. Devrim revolution, radical reform
  100. Dibek large stone mortar
  101. Dicle the Tigris river
  102. Dikeç vine-planting bar; stake
  103. Diken thorn
  104. Diker one who plants or sews
  105. Dikici shoe-stitcher; farmer
  106. Dikmen conical hill
  107. Dilâçar opener of language
  108. Dilaver brave, valiant
  109. Dilber charming, beautiful
  110. Dilek wish
  111. Diler one who wishes
  112. Dilipak clean-tongued; pure-hearted
  113. Dilligil the family of Dilli, the eloquent
  114. Dilmen eloquent, skilled in language
  115. Dinç vigorous, fit
  116. Dinçel vigorous, hale
  117. Dinçer vigorous young man
  118. Dinçkök vigorous root
  119. Dinçmen vigorous, hale
  120. Dinçsoy vigorous lineage
  121. Dindar devout, pious
  122. Dinler one who listens
  123. Dinleten one whose word is heeded
  124. Direk pillar, mast
  125. Diren resist, stand firm
  126. Dirican living soul, lively
  127. Dirik lively, vigorous
  128. Dirim life, vitality
  129. Dirlik livelihood, peace
  130. Dizdar castle warden
  131. Dizdaroğlu son of the castle warden
  132. Doğan falcon; rising, born #12
  133. Doğanay rising moon
  134. Doğançay falcon stream
  135. Doğandemir falcon / born + iron
  136. Doğaner male hawk
  137. Doğanlar falcons; the Doğans
  138. Doğar rises, is born
  139. Doğramacı joiner
  140. Doğru honest, upright
  141. Doğruer honest man
  142. Doğrusöz truthful
  143. Doğruyol the right path
  144. Doğu east, sunrise
  145. Doğulu from the east
  146. Dolgun full, plump; ample
  147. Doluca fairly full; village name
  148. Dolunay full moon
  149. Doruk summit, peak
  150. Dost friend
  151. Döğer an Oghuz tribe
  152. Dökmeci metal founder, caster
  153. Döner turning
  154. Döngel medlar; spinning top
  155. Döngeloğlu medlar + -oğlu
  156. Dönmez steadfast, true to his word
  157. Duman smoke; mist
  158. Dumanlı misty, smoky
  159. Dumanoğlu son of Duman
  160. Durak “he will live”; a stop
  161. Durakoğlu son of Durak
  162. Dural steady, unchanging
  163. Duran one who stays and endures
  164. Durdu he stayed, he lived
  165. Durgun calm, still
  166. Durmaz tireless, never stopping
  167. Durmuş he has stayed (a wish name)
  168. Durmuşoğlu son of Durmuş
  169. Dursun may he stay (a wish name)
  170. Dursunoğlu son of Dursun
  171. Duru clear, limpid, pure
  172. Durukan clear; of pure blood
  173. Durul become clear; form of Tuğrul
  174. Durusu clear water
  175. Duyan one who hears and senses
  176. Duyar sensitive, perceptive
  177. Duygulu sensitive, full of feeling
  178. Duymaz one who does not hear
  179. Dülger building carpenter
  180. Dülgeroğlu son of the carpenter
  181. Dündar rear guard
  182. Dürüst honest
  183. Düvenci thresher, sledge maker
  184. Düz flat, level; straight
  185. Düzen order, harmony
  186. Düzgün orderly, decent

The letter D in Turkish surnames

Many Turkish D-words began with t in Old Turkic. The Oghuz languages, Turkish among them, voiced that initial t to d: temir became demir ‘iron’, tağ became dağ ‘mountain’, teŋiz became deniz ‘sea’ and toğan became doğan ‘falcon’. That shift lies behind the surnames Demir, Doğan, Dağ and Deniz and the many compounds on demir: Demirci ‘smith’, Demirel, Demirtaş. The older t survives in Timur, from the same word for iron.

The surnames under this letter, in figures

The meanings are spread over 38 categories; the largest are “Virtue and integrity” (15), “Mountains, rocks and stones” (12) and “Appearance, body and strength” (11). Turkic roots dominate (154 surnames, 82.8%); the rest come from Persian (25), Arabic (6), Greek (1). On average they have 6.8 letters, longer than the dictionary average of 6.3. The longest is Değirmencioğlu (14 letters), the shortest Dağ, Dal and Daş and others (3). In vowel harmony, names with only front vowels lead (66) over back-vowel names (65); 55 mix the two, usually a sign of a compound or a loan.

By number of letters

Sources

  1. 1Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)